Monday, April 18, 2016

Nations, corporations, and even wealthy or
powerful individuals sometimes require services that a traditional military
does not and cannot perform. This area of action is often in violation of local
or international law and may require a degree of deniability. This is the arena
of special operators, highly trained individuals with specialized skills, who
conduct asymetric warfare and other missions.

Skirmish Sangin is an excellent rule set for simulating these Special
Operations missions. The system for designing and skirmishing both traditional
and asymetric forces allows players to pit operators from any side of a
conflict in these situations.

This type of combat is fought between an
aggressor and a defender. The aggressor is almost always a small team of Elite
or Veteran figures, while the defender is usually a larger force of Novice and
Average figures stiffened by a few Veterans in important locations. Players
should decide beforehand who is going to take on what role, either by mutual
agreement or by rolling off.

Creating a Special Operations mission is as
simple as rolling 4d6. The first die determines the MissionType
for the aggressor. The second and third die, compared against the appropriate
tables under Mission Details, determines the target and type of
location, respectively. The fourth die determines the Specific Locations where
the combat takes place.

Mission Type

D6 Roll

Mission

1

Assassination

2

Extraction

3

Espionage

4

Sabotage

5

Raid

6

Surveillance

Mission Details

Assassination

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is currently...

1

...an important
politician.

...being moved out.
Roll on the Hub table.

2

...a specialist or
scientist.

...on the road. Roll
on the Road table.

3

...an informer or
spy..

...resting. Roll on
the Compound table.

4

...a defector.

...at a safe house.
Roll on the City table.

5

...a general.

...at a manufacturing
site. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...a family member of
one of the above (re-roll).

...hiding out in the
boonies. Roll on the Rural table.

Extraction

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is currently...

1

...a politician.

...preparing to move
out. Roll on the Hub table.

2

...a defecting
specialist or scientist.

...in transit by
convoy. Roll on the Road table.

3

...an informer.

...being held incommunicado.
Roll on the Compound table.

4

...a defector.

...being held in a local
hotel. Roll on the City table

5

...a captured spy.

...being held at a
local manufacturing site. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...a family member of
one of the above (re-roll).

...out in the boonies.
Roll on the Rural table.

Espionage

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is currently...

1

...a communication or
encryption device.

...being prepared to
be transported away. Roll on the Hub table.

2

...an experimental
weapon.

...in transit by
convoy. Roll on the Road table.

3

...an experimental
formula.

...being held at a
local site. Roll on the Compound table.

4

...secret enemy plans.

...being held in an
urban location. Roll on the City table.

5

...experimental
materials.

...being reviewed at a
local manufacturing site. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...incriminating
financial records.

...being held out in
the boonies. Roll on the Rural table.

Sabotage

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is currently...

1

...a communications
hub.

...switching vehicles.
Roll on the Hub table.

2

...a cache of weapons.

...stashed near a
road. Roll on the Road table.

3

...a supply of drugs.

...being stored at a
private location. Roll on the Compound table

4

...a mainframe or data
storage.

...in a building. Roll
on the City table.

5

...a surveillance
device.

...in a local
manufacturing facility. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...a shipment of
chemicals.

...stashed away from
prying eyes. Roll on the Rural table.

Raid

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is currently...

1

...an enemy force.

...preparing to leave
the country. Roll on the Hub table.

2

...an enemy force.

...in a convoy. Roll
on the Road table.

3

...an enemy force.

...holed up at a
private site. Roll on the Compound table.

4

...an enemy force.

...in a local
building. Roll on the City table.

5

...an enemy force.

...protecting a
manufacturing site. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...an enemy force.

...hiding among the
locals. Roll on the Rural table.

Surveillance

D6 Roll

The target is...

And is ...

1

...an area of
interest.

...a transport hub.
Roll on the Hub table.

2

...an area of
interest.

...in transit by
convoy. Roll on the Road table.

3

...an area of
interest.

...a local residence
or business. Roll on the Compound table.

4

...an area of
interest.

...a safe house. Roll
on the City table.

5

...an area of
interest.

...an industrial
center. Roll on the Industrial table.

6

...an area of
interest.

...an out-of-the-way
location. Roll on the Rural table.

Specific Locations

D6 Roll

City

Compound

Hub

Road

Industrial

Rural

1

Slum

Corporate Campus

Subway/Train Station

Cemetery

Office Building

Farming Coop

2

Suburb

Corporate Farm

Dock/Pier

National Preserve

Junkyard

Trailer Park

3

Shopping Mall

Private Estate

Rooftop Heliport

Construction Zone

Refinery

Amusement Park

4

Business District

Church

Private Airport

Highway Over/Underpass

Factory

Village

5

Museum

Motel

Truck Stop

Bridge

Warehouse

Ghost Town

6

College Campus

Private Clinic

Train Switching Yard

Tunnel

Mine

Housing Development
Under Construction

Example Missions

Roll

Mission

Target

Location

3, 1, 1, 5

Espionage

Encryption device

Truck stop

6, 3, 3, 4

Surveillance

Area of Interest

Church

2, 1, 2, 5

Extraction

Friendly politician

Bridge

4, 1, 5, 6

Sabotage

Comms device

Mine

5, 1, 3, 3

Raid

Enemy

Private Estate

1, 6 (3), 6, 1

Assassination

Family member of informer

Farming Coop

Game Narrative

Players should attempt to add as much of a
narrative element to their game as possible. This not only adds to the fun, but
allows players to determine victory conditions.

The first example mission is Espionage of an
encryption device while at a truck stop.

The players agree that the device is in the back of a heavy truck and
being transported across the country and is protected by a squad of soldiers
travelling in a separate vehicle. The Aggressor’s victory condition is that one
figure must next to the truck for at least one full turn allow it to get an
image of the device. The Defender’s victory condition is to prevent this from
happening.

Campaigns and Linked Scenarios

The small size and elite nature of the Aggressor
in Special Operations missions makes for interesting and unique campaigns. One
scenario can lead to another, depending on the interpretation of the die rolls
and which player wants to take on the role of the Aggressor and the Defender.

Example Campaign

The easternmost province of the small central European nation of Moldova
is a break-away state known as Transnistria. A group of Transnistrian
ultra-nationalists (the Defenders) are attempting to reignite the conflict and
establish themselves as heroes and leaders. They have financial backing in the
form of a supply of narcotics from an international criminal organization that
has been promised safe haven in the new country.

The surrounding nations wish to prevent the
conflict but none desire to be part of a diplomatic embarrassment should their
efforts come to light. Consequently, a team of operators (the Aggressors) is
covertly inserted into the area to stop the ultra-nationalists.

·Mission One: Extraction
of a family member of a useful informant being held at a motel.

·Mission Two: Sabotage of
a cache of drugs located at an ultra-nationalist village.

·Mission Three: With
their plans revealed and their cache of drugs sabotaged, the ultra-nationalists
prepare to flee the country from a private airport. The operators are to Raid
the airport and kill or capture the ultra-nationalist leaders.